Fight to Survive
by Invader Gir1
Summary: What happens when you are sucked into the game on Legendary? A Fight to Survive. R
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1  
Autumns Morning  
  
A few weeks ago I had my friend Nick over to my house to play a little Halo and torture my little brothers. Nick is the leader of our Halo team, The Word of Chaos, and his name is, obviously, Chaos. My name is Tactic, and I'm our tactician and strategist. He got to my house at about 5 in the evening. It was an evening I would never, ever forget.  
"Hey, 'sup Tactic!" Nick shouted at me as his car rolled into our driveway.  
"Hey." I said happily, but in the back of my mind I was hoping he wasn't thinking about beating any levels on Legendary today. I hate Legendary. It whoops my butt every time I try to beat it. I could walk into a room full of covenant, feeling confident because I've got a full compliment of grenades and a shotgun. Then I see Hunters and get blown to pieces before I even have time to draw breath. Very discouraging.  
"How bout we start on POA and go from there?" Nick said seeing the look on my face.  
"Oh, come on man. You know I hate Legendary." I pleaded. But it was no use. He dragged me upstairs to the Xbox.  
"Oh! I almost forgot." Nick said as I was booting up the machine. He pulled out 2 pairs of 3D glasses, but instead of one lens being red and the other blue, they were both clear, and light seemed to disappear into them.  
"What the hell are those?" I said, eyeing them cautiously.  
"Gamestop was giving them out," he started, "They're glasses that are designed to work only with Halo. Add that to you're surround sound system, and it's like we'll actually be in the game!"  
"Whoa." I said, feeling happy for the first time that day. I finished booting up the Xbox and put on my glasses. They worked wonderfully. I could see every speck of plasma fly past me. I could see snowfall gently on the vehicles. I could see every detail of the Elites before Nick beat them to death. Of course, this was on AOTCR, and easy, as a warm-up. Then Nick quit that and started up POA on Legendary. We sat in awe as we watched the opening cinematic. The glasses worked even better on this level! It was so cool, I even forgot I hated Legendary.  
"Cool, huh?" Nick said after a few minutes.  
"Yeah, awesome" I said. "Oh, hey could you pause it? I have to go to the bathroom.  
"Sure." He said pausing the game and lying down on the sofa.  
I was washing my hands in the bathroom downstairs, when I noticed something strange. Nothing was moving. There was complete and utter silence. I could hear the light bulb buzzing on the ceiling. I could hear the ant on the floor scuttling across to a hole in the wall.  
"The glasses must be getting to me." I thought. I headed back upstairs. The game was still running, but the pause screen was gone. Nick wasn't on the sofa.  
"Alright Nick, where are you?" I shouted. I looked everywhere, but couldn't find him. I looked back at the TV, and what I saw made me jump back in shock. The image on the TV screen had taken up the entire wall. As a matter of fact, the TV wasn't there anymore, neither was the wall. It was like.a gateway into the game. I threw off the 3D glasses, but the effect was still there, but more pronounced.  
"What the hell is going on here?" I whispered. I slowly walked up the wall. I put my hand through where the TV would have been. No shock, no pain. It was like my wall wasn't there anymore. I slowly stepped into the game. It felt perfectly natural. I was standing in a hallway of the Pillar of Autumn. I walked a little further. This was completely weird. I turned back to the screen.  
".The hell?" I said. The doorway was gone! I was trapped in some spaceship orbiting a planet I had never heard of! It took a few minutes for me to realize that Nick must be here too. That would explain the sudden disappearance. I walked a little further and turned a corner, thinking all the while. If I was in the game, then all the events going on around me must follow the plot. Then I realized something that made my blood run cold. Nick had left the game on Legendary. That meant I was sure to die. I looked out a window. Streaks of stars flew past the glass.  
"Wait a second. The Autumn was already under attack when we were playing. Does this mean I've gone back in time too?" I thought. Then we were safe for the moment. No Covenant. Then it hit me. I could warn Captain Keyes not to decelerate the ship when we reached Halo! I started running for the bridge. Then I stopped. Where was the bridge? I looked around till I saw a map, marking the bridge with a red dot. I was close. Very close. I had a chance of making it! Then there was a jolt. The ship was coming out of hyperspace! I was too late. Now we were all going to die. I began to think quickly. When the game starts, the Covenant ships reach the Autumn in about 2 minutes. That meant I had to reach a lifeboat, fast. I looked back at the map. I wasn't as close to the life pods as I was to the bridge. Then I saw I was close to the armory. If I could arm myself, I would have a better chance. I started running. I reached the armory with a minute to spare. I quickly grabbed a pistol and ammo from the rack. I loaded it up, hid it in my pocket, and started running again. Then the ship lurched, and I was knocked off my feet. That must be the first Covenant ship! I ran faster, streaking past surprised crewmembers. I turned a corner and saw Covenant spilling into the ship. I turned another way, ducked under a destroyed blast door, and continued on, only stopping to pick up ammunition and grenades from a fallen Marine. I caught a glimpse of another map. I was very close to the life pods. But I had to hurry. The explosions were getting more frequent. I knew that Keyes wouldn't try to crash land the Autumn until Cortana and the Master Chief were off the ship. I was probably closer to the life pods then them anyway. I could still make it. I ran around a corner into a group of grunts. They squealed in surprise. I ducked behind a partition, then popped up and shot a couple. I saw that they also had an Elite with them. I threw one of my grenades at the group, but it did almost nothing. I was loading up another one, when I heard human gunfire. I popped my head up and saw a group of marines firing at the Covenant. When they were all dead, I ran towards them. "Wow. Thanks" I said to them. "And.who are you?" An Aussie asked me. "No one!" I shouted as I ran past him. He stood there scratching his head. I ran past another group of Marines, turned a corner, and saw the life pods. I could have screamed in relief. I ran toward the last one that was already launching. "Wait!" I shouted. The pilot looked at me strangely, but waited till I was aboard till closing the doors. I strapped myself into a seat, looked around. And who to be in the same pod was Nick! "Hey man!" Nick said. "I thought you were dead!" "Same here" I said. I saw that Nick was holding a medpack over a wound on his leg. "You ok?" I asked him. "What's it look like, dip head?!" He yelled. Then we were both pushed back in our seats as the life pod launched. I saw through the life pod's windows as the Autumn got hit with round after round of Covenant plasma. I looked through the front windows and saw Halo in the distance. It looked even more beautiful like this. Then our pod lurched as plasma hit us. A Covenant ship was trailing us, firing its cannons. "Oh shit." Nick and I said in unison. Then out of nowhere a Longsword fighter blasted it off our 6. I looked back through the front windows with relief and saw we were closer to Halo then I expected. It's atmosphere was already pulling us in. I saw Nick clench his teeth and close his eyes. I did the same.  
"I really want to go home." I thought.  
"So do I." Nick said strangely enough. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
Reunion Tour  
  
I don't remember hitting the ground. All I knew was Nick shaking me awake.  
"Hey, Tactic, wake up!" He said. I looked around. I was on the ground next to a dead Marine. Our life pod sat smoking on the ground a few meters away where the thrusters had burnt. We were the only one's to have survived the drop. I looked up. Other life pods flew overhead. I looked back at Nick. His leg had healed, and he was holstering a Shotgun.  
"Chaos?" I said blearily.  
"Yeah, it's me man. Are you ok?"  
"Yeah.I think so." I mumbled. I got up off the ground and was amazed to find my pistol still in my pocket. I took it out and reloaded it. I looked back at Nick and saw he was wearing a Marines uniform.  
"Dude, why are you wearing that?" I asked him.  
"It's got body armor built in." He said. "I saved some for you, too." He said, pointing to an extra suit. I pulled it on over my clothes, which were singed black from the landing.  
"Ok, first things first.what happened?" I asked him.  
"Don't know," He said, "The TV turned into some kind of portal and pulled me in."  
" Same here." I replied. "But how did this happen?"  
"Maybe it had something to do with the glasses. I threw mine aside when I got on the ship." Nick said.  
"I did too. That means we're probably trapped here." Both of us went silent. We were trapped in the greatest game in existence. If we couldn't get out, perhaps we could play through. A wide grin stretched across our faces.  
"Cool." I said.  
We just stood there for a few minutes. Then we heard a low rumbling, and a Pelican soared over the cliff edge and landed next to us.  
"This is Echo 4-19. You guys need a lift?" Foe Hammer said through our newly dawned Marine helmet speakers  
"Yes, Ma'am." I said as we boarded the craft.  
"I'm going to look for other survivors, you guys just hold tight." She said as we took flight. We rode in silence for a few minutes. Then I remembered something.  
"Foe Hammer, the Covenant don't use encrypted channels to broadcast their transmissions, can you hack into it and see what's going on?"  
"Roger that." She said. We waited a few minutes, then she spoke.  
"Yeah, you were right. It seems they've located the Autumn's crash site. They have the captain hostage and are transporting him on one of their Cruisers, the Truth and Reconciliation." She was silent for a second "I can't get anything else for now."  
"Thanks, Foe Hammer." Nick said. We rode in silence as we listened to Foe Hammer help other Pelicans locate other survivors. When it seemed that they had all been collected, our Pelican started to fly back to the base camp they had constructed a few miles from where we crashed. Halfway there I got an idea.  
"Hey Foe Hammer, you got In Too Deep, by Sum 41?"  
"Sure do. Why?"  
"You mind playing that in the passenger area?"  
"Sure thing." The song played throughout the trip back, lifting my spirits a little.  
* * * * *  
  
We got to the base camp an hour later. Our Pelican touched down, and we climbed out. Echo 4-19 lifted off and flew out of sight. The base camp was impressive for the little time they had to construct it. Then again, it was around 2552. They probably had portable bases or something. We walked around the camp until we found some empty seats, and sat down.  
"I'm going to get some food," Nick said, eyeing a table across from us piled high with chicken.  
"Sure, go ahead." I said sleepily. I decided to close my eyes for a few minutes. I wasn't even asleep when I heard someone calling my name.  
"Tactic? Tactic!" I heard her say.  
"Huh? What?" I opened my eyes. John Edward, Ashley, and Steven were staring at me. All 3 were other members on Nick's Halo team. Steven went as Black Sabbath, Ashley went as Andromeda, and John Edward went as Tiny. Needless to say, I was shocked.  
"Guys! What are you doing here?" I replied.  
"I don't know." Steven said. "We were at my house playing Halo with these 3D glasses that Gamestop gave out, and all of a sudden-  
"You were sucked into the game." I interjected.  
"Yeah, exactly." John said. "You too?"  
"Nick and I." I said. "You seen him?"  
"More to the point, he saw us," Andromeda said. "Well, this is great! Now we have our team, and we have a chance of getting out of here! You do have your pair of glasses.don't you?"  
"No, they went down with the Autumn." I said glumly "Nick's too." We all stood shocked at this information, then Nick came by with a plate full of chicken.  
"Hey Tactic, look who I found!" He said smiling, until he saw our faces. "You told them, right?"  
I sighed. "Yeah. I did." Nick nodded and sat down. I pulled up extra chairs for the rest. Nick handed out chicken. I was knawing on a bone when a voice came out over the loudspeakers placed everywhere.  
"Attention Marines. Attention. This is Major Easly. Foe Hammer of Pelican Echo 4-19 has given us crucial information as to the whereabouts of the Captain. He is being held on a Covenant cruiser, the Truth and Reconciliation, and the Master Chief is still alive. The cruiser is approximately 200 miles from our location. Saddle up. I want all Marines ready for the trip. The Pelicans will be arriving in 15 minutes. That is all."  
We all looked at each other. If we could rescue the captain, we could be one step closer to getting out of the game. After all, everything else was following the storyline. Plus, we might get to drive a warthog! I voiced this to everyone, and we all jumped up to get uniforms and weapons, trying to ignore the strange looks from the other marines. 


	3. chapter 3

Chapter 3  
Keyes  
  
15 minutes later, the first of the Pelicans arrived at base camp. The rest of the team and I boarded the first one we saw, eager to help. I was feeling good, having abandoned my pistol for the shiny Assault Rifle, until a Marine struck up a conversation.  
"Hey, you guys can't be older than 13. Who are you?" He asked us.  
I thought quickly. "Uh.we're.a special project, developed by the Army. We're genetically enhanced to be as good as you." I said. The others nodded in agreement.  
"Eh.they really shouldn't put kids on a battlefield. You guys have your whole lives to live."  
"Well, we'd rather be out here then living our lives. Is that clear?" Nick butted in angrily.  
"Yes, sir." The marine said, unsure how to react.  
"Good." Nick said. The rest of the 200-mile trip was in silence. Dusk fell halfway there. Marines pulled open panels at the bottom of the pelican and brought out what looked like extensions to their chairs, clipped them on, and sprawled out asleep. We did the same, but didn't sleep. We weren't going to be thought of as lazy. But as the night went on, most of the team dozed off, including me.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Wake up, Marines! We're ETA 5 minutes from our target!" A voice shouted over the intercom. We all awoke with a start, not feeling sleepy. I reloaded my AR and polished the barrel. Chaos individually selected the best looking shotgun shells and pushed them into his gun. Black Sabbath also loaded his AR. Andromeda was busy making sure her sniper rifle barrel was straight and cleaning the lens. Tiny was loading his pistol. All around us, we could see Marines in other Pelicans doing the same.  
"Listen up, ya'll!" another voice said "The Master Chief is taking a squad of Marines up to the Cruiser to take out any stranglers by the gravity lift. We will land as we are needed. Foe Hammer out."  
Our Pelican hovered at about 500 feet above and about a kilometer from the cruiser. I was amazed it didn't see us. We waited there for what seemed like hours. Then the call came in.  
"Foe Hammer, this is Cortana. The Master Chief needs reinforcements inside the cruiser. I'm sending you coordinates. Cortana out." This was it, the big moment. Would we fail, die trying to get out of the game? Or would we prevail and see our families again? It all depended upon the first step. And from here that first step was looking pretty dangerous. Our Pelican landed inside the cruiser, disrupting my thoughts.  
"Pile out! Go go go! The corps isn't paying us by the hour!" A Marine shouted. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as we climbed out of the Pelican. Then I saw him. The Master Chief. The main character in the entire game. The guy you play as. The guy that would save the galaxy from the Halo threat. He just stood there in his spiffy green armor while we piled out. Cortana gave us directions but I wasn't listening. I knew this place by heart any day. I could do this crap in my sleep. Nothing would stop me or my team. Then the Hunters walked into the hanger.  
"AHHHH!" I head somebody scream. I wasn't listening. I was firing every bullet I had at the Hunters. Behind me, Black Sabbath was doing the same. Tiny was aiming for their heads, looking for a weak spot. Andromeda, having only her rifle, took cover and lobbed grenades at them. Nothing was having any effect. The Hunters stood their ground and fired round after round of plasma cannon shots at us. One grazed the top of my helmet, singing it. One caught Tiny in the foot. Amid all this chaos, a thought burst through. Where was Chaos?  
I looked around, but I didn't see him. With a feeling of dread, I thought he might have been killed. We continued firing. One Hunter went down. The other took cover and shot at us at regular intervals. Then it started throwing grenades at us!  
"We are so doomed." I heard Black Sabbath say. Then, out of nowhere, the Hunter seemed to explode in a flash of green. When the smoke cleared, we saw the Hunter had fallen, and Chaos was standing behind it, a huge plasma cannon on his shoulder. He dropped it with a loud thud, and picked up his shotgun.  
"Well, what are you staring at?" He said with a grin, "Lets go!" None of us were in a mood to say anything. We holstered our weapons and ran after him.  
"We're very close to the brig, where Keyes is being held." Cortana said out of the Master Chief's helmet speakers. She paused for a second. "I'm sending you a map of the cruiser to your helmets, Marines." The green screen that I had ignored in front of my face for so long illuminated and displayed our current position in the cruiser, with the captain marked as a dot.  
"Huh.handy." I heard Andromeda mutter. We turned the corner and ran down the corridor, following the Master Chief, Cortana giving him Nav points all the way. We encountered very little Covenant resistance, which I found odd. I had long since abandoned my Assault Rifle for a Plasma Rifle, which I found worked better. The team had also picked up plasma grenades, including me. The minutes ticked by. Maybe the heat of the suit was getting to me, but it seemed like we just had to save the Captain, like his life really mattered, and this wasn't all just a game.  
"Thanks a lot, Bungie." I muttered, shaking my head. Then the door in front of us opened and we were in. There was no guard.  
"Well, that's bad." Nick said to us. "There are supposed to be 2 cloaked Elites in here.  
"Hey, I'm not complaining." I said to him. The Chief switched off the force fields, and the captain and some captured Marines walked out of the cells. I threw a needler to the Captain. He caught it and grinned at me. I raised an eyebrow. Perhaps my face was covered with so much stuff, he couldn't tell I wasn't a full-grown Marine. Then again, he kept shooting strange looks at Nick.  
Keyes gave the Marines and the Chief some pep talk, which we had already heard a thousand times anyway. Once he had finished, we moved back to the bridge of the cruiser, where Cortana radioed for evac.  
"Cortana to Echo 419. We have the captain and need extraction on the double."  
"Negative Cortana, I've been engaged by Covenant air patrols, and I'm having' a tough time shakin' 'em. You'll be better off finding your own ride. Sorry." After she said this, Cortana said some stuff to Keyes, but we weren't listening. We knew that we we're almost out of here. Once we started heading toward the docking bay, there was a whole lot of Covenant resistance. It was normal to see at least 2 or 3 Elites at a time. By the time our team got to the docking bay, we were all nursing small wounds, some not so small. Andromeda was massaging a burn on her forearm, and Tiny was trying to pick small pieces of shrapnel from his face from a grenade.  
The chief released the clamps from a Covenant dropship, and we rocketed out of the docking bay, dodging plasma all the while. I had never been inside a Covenant dropship before, but I strongly never want to be in one again, to say the least. 


End file.
